Mellow mists - check; fruitfulness - check, check

I know you were all worried that I had fallen into my suitcase and not been able to get out. But actually the reason I haven't posted since Friday is that I was spending some quality time on a Midlands Potato Farm (complete with Midlands Potato Farmer - MPF).

This very select potato farm has these amazing hydrangeas (at least I thought they were an amazing colour).



It also has about twelve different varieties of potato at any one time, including my favourites, pink fir apples, and the kind we had on Saturday night which are called harlequins. We also had beetroot from the garden, roasted and served with feta, chives and coriander (all from the garden. Well, not the feta. Sheep are a project for another year).



What did I do? I picked blackberries, which we had in a number of different ways, including in the martinis my very inventive mother concocted.



When I wasn't picking blackberries, I was sitting by the fire, drinking. All in all, a pretty good way to spend my last weekend in the Northern hemisphere for a while to come.